About the Book
The Interactive Classroom
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Essential and Guiding Questions
Definitions: (These definitions are a modification of Heidi-Hayes Jacobs work)
Essential Question: An essential question is the sum of what you will be examining while reading or being trained in coaching. It is often written as a definition question, serving as an umbrella for other guiding questions. Essential questions frame the organizing center and are written to promote higher level thinking. They help link concepts and principals and are anchored into the lives of the reader or learner, as they relate to real problems in the classroom. Of course, essential questions should be meaningful as well as interesting to the reader because they should be relevant to their lives as educators. Essential questions promote deep and enduring understanding. They cannot be answered in one sentence. Even though they are written simplistically, they are complex enough to be broken down into smaller, guiding questions. Heidi Hayes-Jacobs refers to these questions as "Mind Velcro." While reading or being trained, the information that is gathered adheres - or "sticks," so to speak - to the essential question, which helps the reader or learner to synthesize it into a deeper, longer lasting understanding of the topic.
Guiding Questions and Statements: Guiding questions are developed to serve as a scope and sequence, and are more detailed questions and statements that support the essential question of the chapter or training.
» Coaching
Essential Question:
In what ways would the field of education benefit from coaching?
Guiding Questions:
For what reasons can coaching lessen conflicts in the school?
In what ways can coaching develop better listening skills?
For what reasons does student performance achieve higher standards?
Describe in detail how coaching increases the ability to resolve conflicts.
Explain specifically how coaching can encourage better organization and note-taking skills.
For what reasons can coaching promote innovation and creativity?
Describe in detail how coaching helps to overcome emotional and environmental roadblocks.
For what reasons does coaching empower students by allowing them ownership of their work?
Describe in detail how coaching improves cooperative group performance.
For what reasons does a coaching environment decrease student, staff, and administrator absenteeism?
In what ways does a coaching environment increase motivation and the passion to learn or perform what is required to attain a higher level of achievement?
» Teachers as Coaches
Essential Question:
What is coaching?
Guiding Questions and Statements:
In what ways are coaching techniques motivational?
Describe in detail how the environment changes due to a coaching environment.
For what reasons does behavior become modified and improved when students are embedded in a coaching environment?
For what reasons should students be trained to use coaching with each other in a coaching school?
» Personality Types and Teaming
Essential Question:
What does it mean to be part of a team?
Guiding Questions and Statements:
Describe in detail the components of a well functioning team.
In what ways do personality types affect teaming?
Explain specifically how talent can be fostered by teaming students more effectively.
In what ways can team members assess themselves?
» Listening and Questioning Skills
Essential Question:
What does it mean to be an effective listener?
What is guided listening?
Guiding Questions and Statements:
In what ways do we listen at different levels?
Compare and contrast the differences between good and guided listening?
Explain in detail how teachers can assess the way a team is functioning.
Describe specifically how a teacher can approach a team for coaching purposes.
Compare and contrast the different between negative and supportive questioning.
In what ways can we guide students through supportive questioning?
Describe in detail the difference between simple and exploratory questioning.
In what ways do we gain information by implementing contextual listening?
Explain in detail the role of the teacher during contextual listening.
» Coached Assessment
Essential Question:
How does negotiation play a role in the classroom?
Guiding Questions and Statements:
For what reasons is a teacher a negotiator?
Explain in detail how a teacher instills ownership in a lesson.
In what ways can the criteria for assessments be negotiated?
Describe in detail the different ways assessment can be used in the classroom.
» Problem Solving
Essential Question:
How can problem solving play a part in the classroom environment?
Guiding Questions and Statements:
Describe in detail the components of an effective goal.
Explain in detail the different models of problem solving that can be used in the classroom.
Describe and specifically clarify the strategies that promote a problem solving environment.
In what ways can the classroom reflect on best practices?
For what reasons can best practices influence the solving of current problems or tasks at hand?
» Individual Coaching
Essential Question:
What is individual coaching?
In what ways does individual coaching affect classroom practices?
Guiding Questions and Statements:
Describe in detail the steps of one-on-one coaching.
In what ways does the knowledge of multiple viewpoints enhance perspective of a problem?
For what reasons do gremlins, assumptions, interpretations, and limiting beliefs hinder productivity?
» The Administrators' Role
Essential Question:
What does a coaching school look like?
Guiding Questions and Statements:
Describe specifically the role of a principal while coaching an assistant principal.
Explain in detail how a principal would coach a teacher.
In what ways does a coaching school promote a calm and nurturing environment?
» Teaching Strategies
Essential Question:
What are classroom strategies that support a coaching environment?
Guiding Questions and Statements:
Explain specifically classroom strategies that encourage students to "talk content."
Describe in detail how students will write for a purpose because they are personally motivated.
In what ways can students work together where they build on their personal strengths?
Generate a list of strategies that promote discussion, debate, and simulation.
Depict strategies that encourage the use of negotiation and problem solving.
Describe in detail strategies that promote differentiated instruction and differentiated work stations.
In what ways can we nurture the natural integration of the arts: drama, music, poetry, and fine art?
Describe specifically the strategies that encourage students to perform in front of one another, since performance fosters interaction and the motivation to learn.
Explain in detail strategies that promote evaluation, synthesis, and analysis, where students have to think critically.
Hayes Jacobs, H. (1997) Mapping the Big Picture. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
